Abstract: The present invention is directed to method and apparatus forming a system for deriving from computer-based travel reservations systems specific cost and time information, on per-unit basis, such that accurate cost information may be produced for comparison purposes. Using a programmable computer under control of a program instruction set, individual data segments of a given trip between two points (origination-to-destination) is reduced to a common per-unit basis permitting uniform comparison and analysis. The process identifies each trip having an origination and destination by a unique name, determines the number of connecting segments flown, the number of miles flown, the amount of time from departure to arrival, and the costs on per-hour and per-mile basis.

Abstract: A machine translation apparatus in which the sentence construction of a source language entered by an input device is analyzed in order to generate the corresponding translated text after being converted into a sentence construction in a target language, wherein the machine translation apparatus uses a device for determining whether or not a word string obtained from a sentence construction analysis is a proper noun with an acronym, a device for examining whether or not the number of first letters of each of a certain number of words corresponds to the number of letters of the acronym, and also for examining whether or nor these words are registered in a dictionary, and a device for outputting the corresponding term after it is translated into a target language, when the words are registered in the dictionary, and for outputting directly the words, whose number of first letters corresponds to the number of the letters of the acronym, without translating them, when the words are not registered in the dictionar

Abstract: An iterative method of sequencing jobs in a flexible manufacturing environment where such manufacturing jobs have sequence-dependent set-up times provides for solutions which approximate optimal sequencing while requiring only modest computational resources. Initially, the invention recasts a sequence of manufacturing jobs as a dynamic traveling salesman problem (TSP), in which the system must reconfigure itself and then execute each job in the same way a salesman must visit a sequence of cities, but where the distances between cities change depending upon cities already visited. The first step of the invention reduces the difficult dynamic traveling salesman problem to a static TSP, where distances between each possible job pair are fixed as a monotonic function of parts the two jobs share in common.

Abstract: An improved electronic apparatus such as a so-called electronic memo or data book is disclosed. In the apparatus, a numeric string such as a telephone number can be stored together with two kinds of character strings such as a person name and a company name. The apparatus has a memory for storing a portion of data displayed on a display, and the portion of data can used as a search key in the subsequent search operation. The apparatus allows a user to easily utilize the called results of either a sequential search or a direct search in a subsequent direct search and to change the mode to a sequential search at any desired point during execution of a direct search.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for limiting manipulation of individual documents within a multi-document relationship in accordance with a plurality of user specified preferences. A user preference object is created and utilized to store a plurality of user specified preferences for selected documents or for all documents which contain a selected attribute. Thereafter, any attempted manipulation, such as transmission, copying or deleting, of a document within the multi-document relationship will be limited in accordance with the stored preferences within the user preference object. In this manner, a distribution service may relay and distribute a selected document which might not normally be distributed due to incompatible characteristics of other documents which exist in a relationship with the selected document.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring a mixture of oil and water in a well borehole is set forth. The measurement is a measurement of mixture dielectric constant obtained by exposing a pair of windows to the mixture of well borehole liquids. Each window is formed in coaxial cable portions having cuts in the respective surrounding ground sheaths thereof wherein the sheaths are positioned so that the windows are adjacent and parallel. The two windows form a gap which may be approximately three times wider than the windows formed in the sheath. A signal generator drives the system at a specified voltage and frequency, and changes in signal coupled between the cables are measured where the changes derive from changes in the dielectric constant of the mixture of oil and water coupled in the circuit.

Abstract: A biological information measurement apparatus is adapted to measure biological information in an extracorporeal circuration or in a living body by various measurement circuits comprising circuit elements which are not affected by electrical disturbances, and to transmit the results of measurement in the form of a non-electrical signal which is not affected by electrical disturbances. Measured values from measurement sections are gathered at a central processing section separated from the measurement sections. The processing section converts the measured values into output values, compensates the values for temperature and outputs the values to a display unit and recorder.

Abstract: A subject associating device which includes concept table storage for accommodating a concept table; subject pattern storage for accommodating subject patterns representative of subjects of sentences; a subject pattern generator for converting a sequence of learning phrases or words into a sequence of independent word concepts for generating histograms for the independent word concepts and for storing a pattern of the histograms in the subject pattern storage as a subject pattern; and a subject associating unit for converting the sequence of phrases or words input into the sequence of independent word concepts, for generating the histogram for the independent word concept, for performing a matching between the pattern of independent word concepts of the input sentence and the subject pattern accommodated in the subject pattern storage, and for selecting the subject pattern, which has the small matching distance, as the subject pattern descriptive of the subject of the input sentence.

Abstract: The edit processing includes band deletion processing and band addition processing for correcting the DNA pattern image. Additionally, a concentration graph display indicative of a distribution of concentration of the DNA pattern is provided.

Abstract: The maximum correlation between a pair of curves is determined from the maximum value of the common area of such curves with respect to reference lines within a select window as one of the curves is moved through the window while the other of the curves remains fixed within the window.

Abstract: An automated system for managing one or more large investor portfolios containing both cash and numerous, diversified securities in a real time environment provides added liquidity to the securities markets while maintaining predetermined portfolio objectives for each portfolio. The disclosed system uses data processing equipment to place buy and sell orders on securities markets and with automated brokers to execute trade directly between users of the system and external markets. Holders of such large, diversified portfolios have usually been long-term investors. The system allows active market participation by such investors whereby they provide added liquidity and depth to the securities markets while overcoming problems caused by trader identification and the inability to enter, change or execute orders in a real time environment. The system monitors and analyzes a variety of factors which effect trading decisions in a vast number of securities.

Abstract: A natural language arrangement includes stored grammatical rules each having a phrase structure part representing grammatical functions, a semantic part representing the manner of propagation from a superordinate category to a subordinate category, a condition part, and a message part that imposes limitations on a phrase structure rule using the subordinate category as a superordinate category. The grammatical rules are searched and interpreted to generate a phrase structure for a sentence from grammatical function information obtained by interpreting and applying the searched grammatical rules.

Abstract: A system for monitoring play of a golfer (24,26) comprises Location Information Transmitters (LIT) (52, 54, 56) at predetermined locations within a golf course and a Mobile Electronic Transmitter/Receiver (METAR) (48, 50) carried in association with a golfer (24,26) on a golf bag (30) or a golf cart (28).A METAR (48) transmits a METAR code to a LIT (54), which then transmits its LIT code and the received METAR code to a Tracking Center (22) display terminal. Golf course personnel can monitor the display terminal and determine play of golfers (24, 26), golf cart (28, 34) utilization and golf hole (10, 14) utilization. When the golfer (24) causes a slow play indication, the Tracking Center (22) is notified and the slow golfer (24) is asked to increase the rate of play or leave the golf course. The METAR (48) transmission may be begun in response to the METAR (48) receiving an LIT code periodically transmitted by an LIT (52, 54, 56) over a restricted transmission range (58, 60, 62).

Abstract: A system for monitoring the speed play of a golfer (24, 26) comprises Location Information Transmitters (LIT) (52, 54, 56) at predetermined locations within a golf course and a Mobile Electronic Transmitter/Receiver (METAR) (48, 50) carried in association with a golfer (24, 26) on a golf bag (30) or a golf cart (28). Each LIT (52, 54, 56) periodically transmits a LIT code over a restricted transmission range (58, 60, 62) such that when METAR (48) arrives within an LIT (54) transmission range (60), the METAR (48) receives the LIT code and subsequently initiates a counter to measure time required by the golfer (24) to move within transmission range (62) of a next LIT (56). If the counter exceeds a prescribed time, then a display on the METAR (48) indicates slow play.Additonally, the METAR (48) transmits the received LIT code and a METAR code to a Tracking Center (22) display terminal.

Abstract: An introduction system for participating users, includes for each user a personal device that is subject to activation by remote paging. Each user, also has a memory device that contains personal data defining the user by personal characteristics such as traits and interests. A local control unit receives the respective personal data from a plurality of user memory devices and using computer means compares the personal data of each user with the personal data of other users who have within the same time frame entered their personal data into the local control unit via their respective memory devices. Pairs who are matched to predetermined standards by the computer comparison are automatically paged via their personal devices and an introduction is facilitated.

Abstract: A data processing method and system for implementing a program to produce income from assets not normally income-producing, or to increase income from assets that already produce some income, is provided. According to the program, an interest-free mortgage is taken against the asset as security for a promissory obligation by a participant to pay a sum certain on his death. The promissory obligation becomes part of a fund which derives income through payment of such obligations as participants die, funding distributions to other participants still living. The data processing method and system of the invention determine eligibility, calculate distributions, monitor the value of the pledged assets with respect to the amounts against which they are pledged, and handle discharge of the obligations as participants die.

Abstract: A method of controlling the position of an on-water water curtain device for building a water curtain on the water in order to stop or disperse dangerous gas leaking from a ship or to block flame and radiant heat due to the leaking gas. The method comprises the steps of detecting positions of the ship and the water curtain device, detecting wind direction and tidal current, and adjusting the position of the water curtain device to an optimal position in accordance with detected values so as to maintain the diaster prevention water curtain substantially perpendicular to the leaking gas.

Abstract: A word processor using a standard United States keyboard which enables desired Chinese characters to be displayed by virtue of a phonetic selection of the consonant and vowel of the words represented by the various characters by the actuation of the letter keys of the keyboard; and by virtue of the selection of the first and last calligraphic strokes of the respective characters by actuation of the symbol keys on the standard keyboard which simulate the shape of such strokes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for deriving a three-dimensional seismic image from an irregular grid of two-dimensional seismic data is provided. The two-dimensional seismic data incldue a plurality of shot lines. For each of the shot lines, a two-dimensional migration is performed therealong (22) to create a plurality of migrated shot lines. For each of a plurality of three-dimensional image points, the following substeps are performed. A migrated trace (X) is selected from each of the migrated shot lines that is closest to the image point (I). A further migration (30) is performed on each selected migrated trace (28) with respect to the image point (I). A three-dimensional migrated image (30) comprising the image points is thereby obtained. The invention allows the use of historical, irregular two-dimensional grids of seismic data to be efficiently used for the three-dimensional imaging of subsurface features.

Abstract: The method of the present invention may be utilized with a National Language Support (NLS) data processing system which includes a plurality of sortable keys. Each sortable key within the data processing system is assigned an alphabetic key value, a diacritic key value, a case key value and a special charcter key value. After building these key values for each character or key within the system, a place value may be assigned to each unique character which is based upon these four values. Thereafter, when specifying criteria for a search through the data processing system all four key values may be specified, thus permitting a search to focus exactly upon a desired alphabetic value, diacritic character value, case value and special character value for the desired alphabetic string.